The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-04-07

money was thus spent, and an deficient
and competent Board of Agriculture
would have seen to it that those lawsuits
were conducted by the Attorney General,
which they could easily have done
had the Legislature been asked to
make him do 50, or the Governor could
have ordered him to do it.
MIR. Dargan WAS avowedly in-the April
Convention to break ajt up. He threw
the only fire-b brands init, and it is small
wonder that he, the spokesman of the
Ring" offered the resolution compli-
menting Col. Ransom, Of whose efficiency
as clerk evory one was cOgnlHant. Its
adoption followed us matter Of course,
and proves nothing.
! have never, at any time, accused the
State officers of "maladministration and
extravaganza, and at that time ] had
not said anything about the State Gov
ernmont. So Mr.. Princes resolution to
investigate the State departm ents" was
reported unfavorably in the April Con-
vention, at my request, and immediately
after Governor ThompsOn's address [
roso and denounced the charge that +
had made such accusations as a lie.
So far, then, from having his ssbrass"
endorsed by that Convention, Col. You
mans onl y shows how 'Ebrassy" he is in
bringing forward such proof. A negro
graduate i'll trial Justices court would
not produce such evidence. | have since
used the words "Domocratic imbecility"
rs applicable to our political manage.
ment, and | have said the State Govern
mcnt as whole is extravagant and that
our taxes arc too high. Col. Youmans
hlmst II has very poor opinion of the
state Government, us he says very hard
things IN Lis first letter about it HAVING.
"undermined the relf-relianco and
dwarfed the manhood and Independence
Of the people" and talks of their being
"debauched in their financial integrity" :"
ETC., by this same dear Government He
seems to think nobody else has Il right to
abuse it but himself md yet in his last
letter he says ''the farmers have but two
grounds OF complaint against the I4egis-
laturc"
Verify, the farmers Of Barnwell should
be proud OF their Senator! He is such
punk OF consistency, and SO logical in his
statements. The people have not for
gotten that | showed that our State taxes
were $500, 600 more in '85 than in 80, or
that the Legislature reduced the taxes
one mill at the last session without re-
ducing expenditures, thus acknowledp-
ing they had been worrying moro money
from an impoverished people that was
leeded even to pay the cxravagant sala-
rlcS, Nc, which now obtain. ] have
canned that We can ccOnCmiHC i'll State
expenditures enough to build an agri-
cultural college without impairing ctii-
cheney, and can prove it; and enough
money is spent by the Agricultural De-
partmcnt without bene1iting tanners TO
run such o college.
Col. Goumans has the "chcgh" 70
quote my resolution about doubling the
privilege tax, (Which farmcrs will will
ingly pay to be guaranteed against
fraud, as proving that the 'fpresent board
is giving that very guarantee for % cents
per ton" So, 'advanced logician. " rs
BarnwelPs Senator can prove ANYTHING,
though, where brazen assertion passes
for fact. Another Of that very series of
resolutions states, and the November
Convention reiterated tho complaint,
that the ''lnspection Of fertilizers is de-
icctlye, and no adequate punishment
provided for fraud" Both Conventions
passed these resolutions unanimously.
and there Is more fault found with the
bureau on this very point than any
other.
Notwithstanding its own analysis
omco oollclcuclcS Ill Iuany brands OIL
tertlllzers, Notwithstanding numerous
anu repeated complaints made to the de
partment of guano shipped without tags,
our tender-hearted Commissioner 6as
never "contiscatcd" a single ton that ever
[ heard of, or prosecuted single
offender. The poor farmer who sought
redress has been consoled in being In
formed that "he himself was liable to in
dlctmcnt for receiving the guano." and
the plain letter of the law and his own
regulations" have been ignored by The
official sworn to execute thcm. The de
partment is run seemingly to please the
railroads and fertilizer companies and
phosphate miners. 1t is "'agricultural"
only IN name. 1t and the ''agricultural"
annex TO the South Carolina College are
the two humbugs of the age.
Col. Youmanss main defence OF the
board ls in connection with the manage.
ment Of our phosphate interests. Grant
that those interests are well managed, if
you please, and ask how is agriculture
benefited thereby? What have they to
do with farming? What business has
board of agriculture with "naYigablc and
tide-wator deposits?" The claim that the
increase i'll the royalty over the receipts
III former years is due to able manage
ment is all bosh. The increase is the re-
suit of better methods Of raising rock,
and to the fact that there has been cnor,
nous profit Ill the business. Coosaw
stock has sold for $1,000 per share of
500.
And what is the condition Of those in
tercsts to-day? Licenses have been
granted to all who applied and the greedy
miners turned loose in the phosphate
territory with no restrictions as to clean
ing the land (or water rnthor) as they
won't, no working of exhausted and un-
exhausted territory, no discrimination as
to letting thin strata at less ROYALTY
than thick, but all charged at one price
ono dollar per ton-conSequontly the
field has only been ''sloppcd over"
Thick and easily accessible deposits only
are worked, without cleaning them
through, and others left. Like hogs in
a corn field, the miners have run ali over
the whole phosphate territory belonging
to the State and gobblcd up the "bonan.
zas. y Tho rock that is left whore they
have been-and there ore thousands and
thousands of tons of twill not pay to